Centuries
by ManyPlotBunnies
Summary: Free loves Eruka, but not even witches are made to last forever.


Disclaimer: Soul Eater belongs to it's creator, Atsushi Okubo. I own nothing but the idea for this story.

Warning: Character Death. This takes place after the end of the manga.

AN: This is my first fic to be published. Sorry if the formatting is a bit odd, I've never published one before. Comments are welcome.

* * *

Free had been sitting for hours, and his muscles could tell. He didn't mind, though. He'd sit for however long she needed him too. Eruka's health had taken a turn for the worse. With her age that was understandable. It had been centuries since they had first met. The fact that she was a witch meant she would probably be okay. Heck, the high witch lived to be thirteen hundred, so Eruka had at least another century. But that didn't stop him from worrying about the little frog witch that had become his wife. Eruka woke up and smiled at him. It was still early, so he told her to go back to sleep.

"Not yet. First, I need to ask, can you please carry me? I'd like to watch the sunrise with you."

Anything for Eruka. When Free picked her up from underneath the blanket she seemed so fragile. As light as a feather. She had lost weight in her old age. Free could never understand why, and he knew he never would. Being an immortal meant he would never grow old, wrinkled, gray, fragile. Forever he was stuck looking like a man in his thirties. That never stopped Eruka from loving him, and he her.

For however many centuries the DWMA had let them stay in the academy. It had remained their home and place of work. The students were still asleep and the doctor hadn't arrived yet. Surely they wouldn't mind him taking Eruka out of the infirmary for a while. When they made it to the backdoor and outside it was still rather dark out.

Eruka pointed and said where the sun would be appearing, so Free stood and waited with her in his arms. When the sun first started to show Free had to admit that the colors looked nice.

"The city has changed so much since we first arrived."

Free agreed with her. Cities often change when centuries go by.

"But when you look at the sky, you'll see that it has never really changed."

She was right. He didn't often notice that.

"I've always wanted to watch the sunrise with you. Funny that I never did. Would you ever watch it? Back before I met you?"

"I spent two hundred years in prison with a blindfold on. I can't remember much of what I did before that. So, probably not."

"Yeah. I suppose that's true."

She watched the sun rise a bit more. In this light she looked especially beautiful to Free. In his opinion, she always would be.

"When I thought about my life, I thought about how wonderful it's been, and how I wished it could have lasted longer. I know that would only be delaying the inevitable, so instead I've decided to go out on a high note."

"Eruka, I know that will happen someday, but believe me, it's not today. Soon you'll be up and at 'em, just like always."

"Free, you've been a great husband. And you know why? It's simply because you're you, and I've come to love everything about you."

"Look in a mirror. I feel the same about you."

"Free, how long have we been married?"

Free had to think about that one.

"Our eight hundred and fifty third anniversary was just a couple of months ago."

"A good number. And when did we first meet?"

If she kept asking math questions Free was going to get a headache, he just knew it.

"Eight hundred and sixty years ago."

"A nice number. Even and everything. And you know something? You and I make the even number two. If you ask me, that's a pretty nice way to be..."

Free had been watching the sunrise when he noticed that she had stopped talking. He looked down to see that her eyes were closed.

"Eruka? Are you okay? Did you fall asleep again?"

He lowered his head to her chest to try and hear her heartbeat. He couldn't hear a thing.

"Eruka! Say something! Speak to me, please!"

She looked like she was sleeping. So beautiful and at peace. Tears filling his eyes, he yelled to the sky.

"ERUKA! COME BACK!"

And then he howled loud enough that surely the heavens heard it.

* * *

Free sat in his room. What was his and Eruka's room. The whole DWMA had gone to her funeral. Everyone knew of the frog witch that had, centuries ago, become a part of the staff. They paid their last respects and offered him their apologies. He hadn't really paid attention to them. All he did was stare at the box that now contained his wife.

That was a week ago. His empty stomach kept reminding him. Being immortal meant living on no matter how hungry, thirsty or tired you were. Why was it that he was born to the immortal clan? When Eruka was alive, it was a blessing. It let him live long enough to meet her and stay with her for the rest of her life. Now that she was...gone...it was a curse. She would be in a place where he couldn't go. To Free, there was only one choice left for his life with no future.

Centuries ago, after he first joined the DWMA, Kid had warned him about protecting his weaknesses. The only ways to kill an immortal is with hunt slash techniques or by decapitation. Now Free was just sitting and looking at an old picture of him and Eruka. It was faded and somewhat torn, but it perfectly captured Eruka in her youth. To see her again, he would do anything. So he put down the picture, placed the stolen guillotine blade on the back of his neck, closed his eyes and pulled.

* * *

"Hello Free. I've missed you."


End file.
